


Surprises Wrapped in Gunshot Wounds

by Blueberryshortcake



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Emily however is fluent, Gen, Wash knows Sign, but not very well, friendship fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-07
Updated: 2018-04-07
Packaged: 2019-04-19 15:02:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14239848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blueberryshortcake/pseuds/Blueberryshortcake
Summary: Wash and Emily catch up. You don’t have to be able to talk to say a lot to an old friend.





	Surprises Wrapped in Gunshot Wounds

Wash stared out the window of the hospital. Chorus looked like it was doing well. Much better than when they were last there. Buildings towering, people out of armor. He had had a few visitors, but he didn’t remember most of them. Maybe Palomo at one point? Something about …birds? He was still sluggish, but the worst effects of the drugs were over. He could focus a lot better, but there was also a lot of pain.

“Agent Washington, it’s as if you only come to see me when someone has done severe and traumatic injury to your body!” Emily entered, bright and cheerful as she always was. She glanced at his chart and nodded to herself, then sat on the edge of his bed. 

Wash raised his eyebrows at her, a smile playing on his face.

 _Excuse to see you._ He slowly held his left hand open gestured over it with his right hand twice, then pointed from his eyes to her. As predicted, Emily giggled.

“I didn’t know you knew sign, Agent Washington,” She said and fluently signed at once.

 _Not surprised_ and he pointed at her.

“We I AM versed in more than fifteen Earth languages and a few Sangheili dialects. You on the other hand should brush up. You used excuse as in excuse me. You only need one brush for excuse.”

Wash did an exaggerated shrug. _Not proper taught._

Then he paused, his expression clouding. _Should learn better?_

“Oh, well yes! You ‘should learn better’ if you want to be able to communicate with people effectively…but no, you won’t need it. However you got here, you came to the right place. I’ve seen enough throat wounds to fix you right up!” She smiled at him and patted his shoulder. “It might be awhile before you vibrate those vocal chords without any pain though.”

Wash nodded, relieved.

“You’ll be screeching about drills again in no time,” She added brightly.

He playfully smacked her arm.

_I don’t (screech)_

“Hmm, amnesiatic episodes? THAT isn’t good,” She teased. “Do I need to run some tests?”

Wash held up his hands in mock horror.

“Alright, I suppose that’s just simple denial…and I guess forgetting about the show you put on for Palomo COULD be down to the strong pain medication I had you on.”

_Show??_

Emily snickered. “I was this close to gagging you so you wouldn’t strain your fragile stitches that I so lovingly sewed into you.”

_Birds?_

Emily squinted, perhaps not understanding.

_To do with birds?_

“Oh… now that I think about it, it might have been a catchy little tune about ducks.” She leveled a powerful gaze at him. “Don’t sing anymore until you’re fully healed.”

Wash saluted.

They grinned at one another.

_How are you?_

“Ohhh, well, things are alright. Weather has been VERY nice this spring. Not to mention there’s only so many gunshot wounds you can fix in your life before getting sick of it. Now that the population isn’t killing each other it gives cancer, heart conditions, stroke, and numerous other pathogens a chance to shine.” She kicked up her leg for emphasis and then leaned back resting her back on his legs. She stared up at the ceiling for a moment. “…It’s stupid.”

She looked over at him, he gestured for her to continue.

“I was bored. During the war, before meeting you and the others. People would get shot and I would fix them or they would die, and I would try to figure out new ways to keep bodies going so that they could go out and kill each other again. I wanted it to stop. Of course I did. My friends were dying. But it was also so… routine. And when the war ended I was worried that…it might be even more boring. No more challenges. I guess that sounds cold.”

He should his head. He tried to sign something, but then grabbed the data pad by his bedside.

**Getting through war, any way you can, isn’t cold. And getting used to peace. Sometimes that’s a lot harder. It has been for me.**

“Really?”

He nodded.

She smiled and patted his leg. “It’s been better than I expected. All I have to do is find some cures for all the boring stuff and then I can focus on the interesting.”

Emily Grey, finding the cure for cancer because it’s boring… sounded about right.

“And it’s nice getting to know people and not worry about them getting shot the next day. Present company excluded,” She gave him a look. “ I thought you were all behaving yourself on that moon Vanessa gave you. But no, suddenly there you are in my emergency room on a gurney. No one knows how you got here. Very rude of you.”

_Sorry_

“You’ll have to tell me how exactly you got there once you’re a bit stronger, but then again I DO love surprises! Even if they are wrapped in a nasty throat wound.”

“Dr. Grey?” One of the interns poked his head in.

She sighed dramatically. “Duty calls. I’ll check in on you later, Wash. We can catch up more. Maybe play a bit of scrabble for SOME reason no one ever wants to play with me.”

_I (literally) can’t say no._

“I’ll see you later then!” She said perkily. “Get some sleep.”

He waved watching her go.

He ran a hand over his throat and smiled.

Then frowned.

What the hell had he sung to Palomo?


End file.
